Finally, something on Proctalgia!
Posted , 5 users are following.
I am a 42 year old male. I have been suffering with Proctalgia since I was in high school. For decades, I would hide it thinking I was cursed or something.
I have gone 8 years without an episode, then back with a vengenence. The only way I can describe it is it feels like an alien trying to explode out of my butt. I haven't passed out, but close. On a pain scale from 1-10, I give it a 20. The worse is when I get it at work, driving, or when I wake up with it in the middle of the night. I really haven't found any help with an outbreak, but will definitely try some suggestions I read on these forums.
What is weird is I get it sometimes out of the blue, sometimes after I pee, poop, and sex. I am trying to brainstorm about what might cause the episodes, change in habits, etc. Stress might be a cause.
Anyway, glad I found these forums and good luck to all my fellow Proctalgia sufferers.
0 likes, 4 replies
jim77426 mikey3046
Posted
Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear of the pain you are experiencing.
I suggest that you search through the forum for some of the posts describing the "punch technique." It works by sending a shock wave up the colon that interrupts the spasms. I've been using it for 10 or 15 years and it works immediately and it works every time. Several other members of this forum have reported success with the technique so hopefully it will make the problem go away for you as well.
Jim
Vancouver
rojotoro mikey3046
Posted
There is a lot of discussion on the thread about the "punch" method. I can't attest personally as by the time I read about it (in pain in the middle of the night) mine was declining.
But I did a modified version of it and what pain I had left quickly. And anecdotally it seems that others have had success as well.
But for my body, and I can document this because it gets worse when I take antihistimines, staying hydrated cuts way down on the number of attacks.
Perhaps if you're like so many others the best part may just be in the knowledge that you're aren't insane. Because that is a common theme here as well.
Mattyboh mikey3046
Posted
This has happened to me for a long, long time and here is what I've figured out about myself and maybe this can help you...
I get this when I drink too much before bed. Here me out. I may workout or something and drink a lot after the work out but it's just before before bed. Then, in the middle of the night, all of my muscles in my pelvic area tense up to keep me urinating. Like your jaw may lock up, the muscles in my anus area lock up too. The only way to get things to relax is to get up, watch tv, and take my mind off of things. Once I'm relaxed, I can urinate and the pain goes away.
To me, it's all about muscles tensing. No other doctor has come close to helping or understanding this. Anyway, I hope that helps.
francis6696 mikey3046
Posted
Here's how I deal with it: over the last decade I had kept detailed calendars noting common details to try and get a handle on the pain which can literally make this grown man cry. For me, this is how it goes:
ONE: It all depends first on how satisfied I am with my life; this is the first phase and most crucial aspect affecting me. The more dissatisfied with life the stronger my second phase; the happier I am the less severe and fewer number of episodes I have.
TWO: Level of dissatifaction causes an enormous elevation of testosterone which causes a moderate to severe increase in aggression causing me to cuss, tell, and honk in traffic and verbally confront others when otherwise I would ignore them. I used to self medicate with massive amounts of dark chocolate and one girlfriend used to stock the freezer with chocolate ice cream. Sex drive also hits the ceiling within a couple days of the pain arriving.
THREE: During this day in my cycle, pain can be triggered by different things; It can occur seconds after having sex, minutes after a bowel movement, while sitting and watching tv late at night, or around 3am while sleeping. Occasionally at odd hours during the day.
FOUR: I've learned not to ignore the earliest of pain. I used to grab a handful of ibuprophen, chew and swallow fast, but now I immediately sit on the edge of a solid surface (counter edge, footboard of bed) rock back and forth and side to side until I find the exact spot which will act the same as a deep muscle massage and dispell the pain. This might take 5 - 10 minutes before I am confident the pain is gone. Sometimes if I'm not quick enough or stop too soon the pain will migrate from one side to the other either during the rocking or after I lay back down and drift off tho sleep waking me up again. The pain is still present while rocking but is held back and pushed farther away all through the rocking.
FIVE: The next day I am uncharacteristicly happy with zero sex drive and no morning erection. My guess is that the pain corresponds to the highest level of testosterone which bottoms out after the pain episode. A few days later I am back to being a normal guy.
SIX: The chocolate ice cream girlfriend noticed that my cycle perfectly synced with her monthly cycle so if you you live with a woman you might want to check her calendar out of curiosity.
Finally, I feel that my state of life satisfaction is the primary key in my pain experience. I was extremely unhappy with the chocolate ice cream girlfriend which happens to be when my pain first appeared. When I left I was pain free for over a year.